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Tuesday, December 25, 2012

A Homemade Christmas

This is my favorite day of the year. How can someone not love a day where you gather with your loved ones, share traditions and thoughtful gift giving and dine on amazing food.

Merry Christmas

I love giving presents! I can honestly say it is more fulfilling for me to think of the perfect gift and watch the recipient open it, than receiving them. Since I started the blog this year, it was only fitting that I give a gift from Kettler Cuisine to each member of my family.Before I share my homemade gifts, I want to thank everyone that reads my blog and for all of the support I have received from family and friends this past year. It has been quite an amazing year for me, and Ryan. We are so blessed to have empowering and inspiring people in our lives. What better way to show my love and gratitude than through my cooking.

Ryan Wants Brittle

The hubby was pretty easy, mostly because I know what he likes and doesn't like. Since he was majorly spoiled from all of the cookie baking during the Great Food Blogger Cookie Swap, I decided to bring back an oldie, but goodie. I like to call it Freezer Brittle, but it really is Angie's Brittle (named after an old family friend). This isn't the typical peanut brittle that one thinks of, but a sweet and salty, chocolatey brittle. It's pretty simple to make and delicious to eat!

Mom Gets Truffles

She was also pretty easy - just find a no-sugar, no-gluten, no-dairy, raw dessert! Hah! Yes, this such thing does exist. Exhibit A: Raw Brownies. Since she often has these in her freezer, I decided to try something new: Choco-Chili Truffles from Green Kitchen Stories. Chocolate and chilis make a deathly amazing combination. I rolled them in different things (coconut flakes, almonds, cacao).

Oh Poppycock, Father

Poppycock. And no, I am not referring to the British term for nonsense, I am referring to the sweet and salty popcorn-candy snack. I found a recipe online from Noshing with the Nolands that is a copycat version of the store bought kind. It was a bit tricky to make, but worth it when I saw his face!

Cookies for Desiree

She got some of my Cherry Walnut Oatmeal cookies. During all of my cookie swap testing and baking, she never got to try them. She specifically requested them, so I had to oblige.

Just Buggles

Every time I make "Trash" (chex mix) and my brother-in-law Paul is around, the buggles in the mix just magically disappear! The boy loves his buggles! Hence why I made an all buggles trash. Let's just say he was a wee bit happy :)

Jerky for the Brother

And then there is my brother, who loves his beef jerky. We grew up with a second mother, Sandy. I have mentioned her and her husband in a previous post about the buttermilk-brined pork chops. She gave me (along with a dehydrator) her amazing beef jerky recipe as a wedding gift. My brother and I used to fight over this jerky when we were kids. I literally made myself sick from eating too much at one point during my childhood. I knew this was the perfect gift for my brother.

(Side note - Thank you Sandy for making this jerky when we were kids. I NOW know how time consuming it is!!)

32 hours later I had some delicious, homemade beef jerky. I will share the recipe at a later time. For now, I am going to enjoy Christmas with my family - the most important people in my life.

1 comment:

What a thoughtful and loving way to share your gift of cooking with each of us. I LOVE my truffles!!! Since going gluten free and watching sugar intake I have been on a quest to satisfy my chocolate craving. Well, these definitely do the trick. Thank you so much from your very proud Mom!

About Me

Hi! I’m Jessica Kettler and I married Ryan in 2011! I love everything about cooking and luckily found a man that loves EVERYTHING about eating. Herein lies the issue, when he wants steak and potatoes, I crave kale and quinoa. So with a new last name and chapter starting in my life, I decided to create Kettler Cuisine – new and healthy recipes that satiate both our appetites. After all, they do say the way to a man’s heart is through his stomach. Enjoy!